Born in Tokyo, Japan, Masako Hockey received her Master’s Degree in Music Performance (Percussion) from the renowned Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music (“Tokyo Geidai”). She has performed as a marimba soloist with many major symphony orchestras around the world, and as a percussionist in opera houses, theater groups and dedicated percussion ensembles.

Naturally, banging on drums is where Masako is truly in her element! As a member of the Tokyo Pipe Band, she’s competed in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland and was Japan’s first Scottish rudimental pipe band snare drummer to win a major scholarship award in drumming abroad.

Masako has taught extensively throughout her career, having provided instruction to both Junior and High School students in Japan. She is an active music educator in Victoria, tutoring percussion students at the St. Michaels University School and giving individual lessons to children of all ages from her private piano and percussion studio. Currently, Masako performs with The Victoria Symphony Orchestra, The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Music Corner.

Originally from Washington State, Christopher Taber received full scholarship to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and San Francisco State University, where he graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Music degree. He studied with Ge-Fang Yang and Camilla Wicks and has performed with members of the Purcell String Quartet, Alexander String Quartet, Philadelphia String Quartet, and Emerson String Quartet.

Christopher has been a featured soloist with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, Port Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Victoria Chamber Orchestra, and Port Townsend Symphony.  In the spring of 2008, he performed Vaughn-Williams’ The Lark Ascending with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been the Concertmaster of the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and is a core violinist in the Victoria Symphony. In the Fall of 2010, Christopher and his wife, Christine, opened Taber Music School in the upper Quadra Neighborhood of Victoria. Christopher lives in Victoria with his wife, Christine, and two sons, William and Noah.

Rebecca Hissen is an active performer of orchestral and chamber repertoire that ranges from classical to contemporary. She performs regularly with the Victoria and Vancouver Island Symphonies. Rebecca has also performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the Vancouver Symphony and with Pacific Opera Victoria. She has had the extreme good fortune to work with such world-class condutors as Maestros Kurt Masur, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Simon Streatfeild, Janos Sandor and Kazuyoshi Akiyama.

As an educator, Rebecca is passionate about providing younger students with opportunities to learn about the joy of live music making. Whether it is through private studio lessons or as part of a symphony outreach program, she works to help children develop a desire for positive self expression through the creative arts.

Rebecca holds a Masters Degree in Music from the Manhattan School of Music. Her past teachers and mentors include Mark Nuccio and Patricia Kostek.

Marcus Hissen was born in Euskirchen, Germany and grew up on Vancouver Island. A member of the Victoria Symphony since 2004, he contributes passionately to the Symphony’s outreach and education programs.

Marcus holds a bachelor degree in music performance from the University of Victoria and an artist diploma in orchestral performance from the Glenn Gould School. His teachers and mentors include Eugene Dowling, Ian McDougall, Gordon Cherry and Gordon Wolfe.

Convinced that the performing arts are to play an important roll in the process of globalization, Marcus first drew up plans for Music Corner during a summer residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2006.

Marcus is also a certified horticulturalist and often dreams of gardening long into retirement.